TRAVELLERS have driven their caravans on to the car park of the historic seven-acre Brierfield Mills site.

Four caravans parked up at the grade II listed building, which was home to Smith & Nephew until 2006.

They remained on the site yesterday afternoon.

Councillor Naeem Hussain Ashraf said he has never heard of travellers pitching on that site before. He said: “This is all we need.

“It’s going to cause a lot of problems.

“It will concern the residents right across Brierfield.

“We will act as soon as possible to get rid of them and I will call on council officers to start proceedings.”

Coun Ashraf criticised the ‘expensive and lengthy’ legal process required to remove travellers and called for a change in the law.

He said: “With all the cuts, the council has not got a lot of money.

“If it’s not your land how can you stay on it?”

Pendle Council bought the site from Islamic Help for £1.5m last year after plans to convert the mill into a boarding school for girls were scrapped.